NRL Magic Round live: Sharks vs Bulldogs, Rabbitohs vs Dolphins, Kevin Walters extends as Kangaroos coach

A knock-on from Sharks fullback Will Kennedy was picked up by the Bulldogs, and Stephen Crichton went inches from scoring.

But the Dogs have a full set at the goal-line. The Dogs go to the left, where the Sharks are short on numbers, but the Cronulla side scrambles well.

The Dogs continue to try and break through, but the Sharks keep showing up and denying them.

A grubber kick from Lachlan Glavin hits the padding, and it collected by Sharks interchange Billy Burns.

Great work from the Sharks, but that set really showed how much the Dogs are struggling in attack this season.

Nicho Hynes kicks a penalty goal from in front, and it is good.

Sharks 32

Bulldogs 6

Poor discipline from the Bulldogs has continued.

The Sharks were on third tackle at halfway, when Dogs hooker Bailey Hayward committed a ruck infringement to restart the tackle count.

The Sharks then had a full penalty after Nicho Hynes was hit late by Bailey Hayward.

 Bailey Hayward then stuck his leg out in the play-the-ball, giving the Sharks a penalty in front of the posts.

Sharks 30

Bulldogs 6

South Sydney Rabbitohs
1 Jye Gray
2 Bayleigh Bentley-Hape
3 Latrell Mitchell
4 Campbell Graham
5 Edward Kosi
6 Cody Walker
7 Ashton Ward
8 Keaon Koloamatangi
9 Bronson Garlick
10 Sean Keppie
11 Euan Aitken
12 Tallis Duncan
13 Cameron Murray
Interchange
14 Matthew Dufty
15 Lachlan Hubner
16 Tevita Tatola
17 Adam Elliott
18 Jayden Sullivan
19 Latrell Siegwalt

Latrell Mitchell returns from injury.

The NRL’s greatest try scorer, Alex Johnston, will miss Magic Round with a leg injury.

Bayleigh Bentley-Hape fills in for his first NRL match this season.

Dolphins
1 Hamiso Tabuai-Fidow
2 Jamayne Isaako
3 Jack Bostock
4 Herbie Farnworth
5 Selwyn Cobbo
6 Kodi Nikorima
7 Isaiya Katoa
8 Thomas Flegler
9 Max Plath
17 Felise Kaufusi
11 Connelly Lemuelu
12 Kulikefu Finefeuiaki
13 Morgan Knowles
Interchange
14 Jeremy Marshall-King
15 Ray Stone
16 Tom Gilbert
18 Oryn Keeley
21 Tevita Naufahu
22 Kurt Donoghoe 
Prop Francis Molo and Felise Kaufusi will start in the front row.

That was dominance from the Cronulla Sharks.

They were all over the Canterbury Bankstown Bulldogs. The Bulldogs look like a shell of the team that made it to the semifinals last year.

The most worrying aspect of the Bulldogs’ play is their defence. The Sharks looked likely to score every time they attacked the goal-line. And it felt like they did score every time.

The Bulldogs have the final chance of the first half.

They have a full set at the Sharks’ goal-line, after a Cronulla dropout does not go the required 10 metres.

The Dogs try to break-in on the left, It doesn’t work.

The final play of the half is a chip to the in-goal.

There are Bulldogs players leading the chance, but the ball bounces back over their heads, and is cleaned up by the Sharks,

Sharks 30

Bulldogs 6

It’s too easy for the Sharks.

Nicho Hynes steps off his right foot, beats Kurt Mann all-ends-up, and trhenHynes brushes past Bailey Hayward and Connor Tracey to score.

Two-time premiership winner Luke Lewis, speaking on ABC Sport, was not impressed with the efforts of the Bulldogs’ defence.

“”That is soft. That is so soft.”

“They pretty much called “touch” and looked at the referee, but they forgot they were playing tackle.”

Sharks 30

Bulldogs 6

On the second play after the kick-off, the Bulldogs turn the ball over.

Winger Jonathan Sua plants the ball on a Sharks player’s foot in the ruck, and knocks on.

The Dogs challenge, but that is the wrong decision.

The Sharks have another set at the Dogs’ goal-line.

The Bulldogs are on the scoreboard.

Attacking the goal-line, Lachlan Galvin runs to the line and gives a flat pass to Jacob Preston.

The Dogs lock bobbled the pass, but gathers cleanly on the second attempt and scores under the posts.

Sharks 24

Bulldogs 6

A high bomb has been dropped by Sharks fullback Will Kennedy.

It was a towering kick, and Kennedy was falling as he tried to catch it.

Kennedy got cleaned up by a Dogs’ chaser; all legal.

It is all too easy for the Sharks.

Hohepa Puru took a run from dummy-half, and was held by three men on the goal-line.

Puru keeps fighting and gets near the line, still held by three Dogs.

Dogs prop Leo Thompson then joins in the tackle, but Puru backs up all the way to the goal-line, then fights free to ground the footy.

Very poor from the Dogs.

Sharks 24

Bulldogs 0

Everything feels against the Bulldogs at the moment.

The Sharks are going for bombs to the fullback.

Dogs fullback Connor Tracey got to the ball, wanted to let it bounce, but it came off his legs and went out.

This gives the Sharks another set at the goal-line.

Sharks 18

Bulldogs 0

Cronulla are on top, and this game is getting away from Canterbury.

The Sharks were gifted a full set attacking the line, after Dogs’ winger Jonathan Sua dropped a bomb.

The Sharks have a lovely shift to the left, and the Dogs’ defence makes a misread — Stephen Crichton jammed in and probably shouldn’t have — and Sharks fullback slices through and touched down.

Sharks 18

Bulldogs 0

Nicho Hynes has missed his kick from the touchline.

But the possible eight-point try that was awarded the Sharks means Hynes also has a shot from in front. He converts.

Sharks 12

Bulldogs 0

The contact from Connor Tracey on try-scorer Ronaldo Mulitalo is a penalty offence, according to the refs.

Nicho Hynes will have a kick from the sideline, and a kick from in front.

Great play from the Sharks.

Attacking the goal-line, Nicho Hynes lined up on the left, then ran to the right.

Hynes passes to Braydon Trindall, and Trindall then throws a lovely pass to Ronaldo Mulitalo who dives over in the corner.

Mulitalo stays down, he may have copped one on the chin by Bulldogs fullback Connor Tracey, as Tracey was trying to make a cover tackle.

Sharks 10

Bulldogs 0